The wind kept picking up. Both Alex and I (only the two of us tonight) wondered if it had begun to rain: the palm tree leaves were being slapped around by the wind and it sounded like rain.  

After a couple hours I needed to use the restroom. I looked out: no rain; just a half moon, lots of clouds, still very windy. With the gray clouds and the moon, I didn't need my flashlight, even in the restroom with the door closed. Went back. Went to sleep with the sounds of 'rain'.  

Towards morning I needed to go again. I opened the door, but now it's pitch black outside, and still sounds like rain. I took the first step and, whoa, it is raining. The heck with it, I can hold it for a couple more hours. 

  

Morning cleanup usually consists of raking the shore of whatever debris the waves pushed up, and cleaning up the rest of the island of whatever from the day before. This morning lots of palm branches and other stuff strewn around by the wind, which is still blowing hard. It's even blowing surf and sand onto our dining tables.  
 
  

    











 



As usual, I'm up before most, and taking a look around to see what the wind has wrought. Then I see one of the locals pulling in this lobster trap: didn't know we had one! Lobster for dinner?! Not unless you want to pay $15 plus, depending on size.  

No pics of the group breakfast, because everyone came in ones and twos and got served as they came in. So I walked around and took a few more pics, but mostly sat in the dining room with my Kindle.  
Went back to my bunk to get ready for the day. One of the locals came in and checked the bunks: most were a little damp; he changed out the sheets and even one mattress. I had hung my swimsuit on a rafter, under a small hole in the roof! So I moved it to a different spot.  
 
After a while the morning boat came in (usually around 9:30) with a mess of new campers. Our dorm now has ten instead of two, mostly women and none of them are dogs.  

Day 3: off to explore another new island. Lots of sailboats out on the water today!  

This island has a large beach and there's a bit of a reef, but we're on the windy side, so most people opt not to snorkel. I went out and sort of partnered with a girl. The water was only about 4 ft deep for quite a ways. I had trouble with my breathing today and had to stop and catch my breath. I stood on sand and a few rocks, but the strong waves pushed hard enough to make it difficult to keep your balance and stand in one spot. I got pushed around a little and ended up stepping on some coral, putting two good gashes in my right foot. As I headed to shore I scratched the top of my left foot. I soaked my feet in the saltwater for most of the rest of the day, and it looks like everything is okay. The gashes under my right foot are on the ball of my foot, making it a little painful to walk.  

I don't remember what we did for lunch. Maybe it was all the chips and dips and pretzels! Had a few beers.  

 

Eventually we headed back 'home'.  

Nali, our host and guide, had told me a story of him and another guy going all the way to the Colombian border and back, over four days, with one 40 hp motor, in the 'Titanic', this stripped down boat that's just floating at the edge of our island every day!  

 
 
Eleven of us for dinner tonight, not as many as Sunday night, but Nali's been saying we're partying tonight because I'm leaving tomorrow. We've become drinking buddies, buying each other rounds. He's taken a liking to me for some reason or other (he's definitely not gay). He tries to get to know at least everyone's name. When he first asked me, I said 'Ray', but he didn't get it, then I repeated it, but he still didn't get it, and finally I said 'Rey', the king. So he started to call me 'the king' a lot, and every time someone new arrived we had to explain it.  

Need to work on my nighttime shooting. Everyone joined the party. The wind was still blowing hard so a group was sitting outside on the leeward side of the dining room. One of them had a bottlle of rum. Half the group was around the bar, but the two groups kept mixing all night.  

Nali broke out a bottle of rum and we started doing shots (he eventually opened a second bottle). All the local boys were there too, about six of them. About half the group showed off some steps on the dance floor. A nice, fun, open bunch of people: good party. I didn't get blitzed. But I was the first one to call it a night. The others weren't far behind me.